One of the best things about Florence is how every corner, piazza and street seems beautiful and steeped in history. Without even going inside any of the buildings, there is a wealth of culture and history and art all around you. Once you've found a luxury villa in Florence and have arrived for a holiday, it's key to find time to wander her streets and take in the atmosphere of the city. Traipsing all over a city is bound to make your energy dwindle and finding a market to grab some food and sit for a moment, maybe find some unique souvenirs, is key. It's also another part of the city's charms. We've already outlined a couple markets that you should swing by in a previous article but here are a few more.
At Santo Spirito, in the Oltrarno neighbourhood, you'll find a pleasantly quiet daily market (taking place 8am to 2pm from Monday to Saturday) which is mostly frequented by locals. On a daily basis you'll find food, fruit and vegetables, household goods and even clothing. However, it becomes something else entirely one day a month. On the second Sunday of each month, the market spills out of its normal confines in the piazza and into the surrounding streets where you'll find a much livelier atmosphere as well as antiques and handmade goods and a much wider selection of food in addition to the regular fare of the market.
If you're in the market for something even more traditional and much more historic, however, then Porcellino Market in the centre of the city is just the thing. Centuries old, it dates back to the Renaissance as a silk and gold market which was frequented by the wealthiest of Florence's citizens and later became a straw market.
Today, it is called the “porcellino” market, coming from the Italian word which means “piglet”, because of the rather distinctive statue of a wild boar which is located in the square.
This market, open 9am to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday, sells leather goods and knick-knacks which are of a much higher quality that those in the San Lorenzo market which we mentioned in our previous article about markets. It's also less of a tourist trap.
If your tastes are a little more whimsical, then head to the Piazza della Repubblica where there is a Flower Market every Thursday morning from September through June. Not only is the effect of the flowers in the historic space stunning, but you can also hop on the famous carousel in the piazza while you're there!
There's nothing quite like wandering the markets of a city to get to know it and its culture better and Florence is no exception. To get a real taste of the city be sure to stop by at least one or two!
Today, it is called the “porcellino” market, coming from the Italian word which means “piglet”, because of the rather distinctive statue of a wild boar which is located in the square.
This market, open 9am to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday, sells leather goods and knick-knacks which are of a much higher quality that those in the San Lorenzo market which we mentioned in our previous article about markets. It's also less of a tourist trap.
If your tastes are a little more whimsical, then head to the Piazza della Repubblica where there is a Flower Market every Thursday morning from September through June. Not only is the effect of the flowers in the historic space stunning, but you can also hop on the famous carousel in the piazza while you're there!
There's nothing quite like wandering the markets of a city to get to know it and its culture better and Florence is no exception. To get a real taste of the city be sure to stop by at least one or two!
Photo credits
picture 1: Graeme Churchard / CC BY 2.0;
picture 2: RalfSkjerning / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: Graeme Churchard / CC BY 2.0;
picture 2: RalfSkjerning / CC BY-SA 3.0
